Promises
by ValandMarcelle
Summary: Romeo supposed he first realized it during the kiss. Jack was going to leave them, and he was going to change. Written by Marcelle


He supposed he first realized it during the kiss. As Jack and Katherine kissed in front of him and the rest of the newsies, he whooped and clapped and cheered right along with them. And sure, he really was happy for the pair of them—he always had a knack for sensing true love (not that he saw it often), and he could tell that Jack and Katherine definitely had something real. But that knowledge brought an equal amount of woe along with it, because Romeo could see all of the angles.

He knew what it would mean for him, for all of the newsies. Jack was going to leave them, and he was going to change. Love warped people—it twisted their thoughts, their minds, their very personalities. Romeo knew this all too well. He could remember, however faintly, this very change occurring in his parents and in his older brother. They had left him for love, abandoned him for the prospect of what they thought was a better life, a life that didn't include him. And now Jack was going to do the same.

Romeo could tell this much as soon as Jack and Katherine had kissed, but he knew he couldn't mention it. He couldn't let on in front of the others and rain on their parade. He figured they would catch up eventually, they were bound to. Why bring it up sooner than he needed to?

So he celebrated through the night with his fellow newsies, and watched as the start of Jack and Katherine's life together began to unfold. But soon the energy of the past few days' events started to weigh at their spirits and their eyelids, and one by one they began to drift off. Romeo watched them go to bed, each exhausted but happy, especially Crutchie, and he wondered how his own realizations hadn't dawned on them yet.

Being the youngest newsies apart from Les, he had assumed that most of them knew better than he did, that they were wiser than his own thirteen years. But none of them had seemed to figure out what was coming yet except for him. Or if any of the older boys had noticed, they hadn't let on, and probably for good reason. Romeo himself had no desire to face reality, so why should they? Maybe they didn't want to think about how Jack was going to leave them…maybe this time for good…

Suddenly there were tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, and Romeo wanted to curse himself. He was a Manhattan newsie—that meant he was as tough as nails, never letting anything get the better of him, especially his own stupid feelings. He could be pretty sensitive at times, but prided himself on being very talented at hiding it from the boys through his constant attempts at flirting with girls on the street, the fact that he was fairly good at it helping in his efforts. He was already was hassled enough for being the "baby" of the lodging house, and he didn't want to let them on to anything else that would fuel the taunting fire.

Romeo hurriedly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, feeling the salty liquid as well as the grime on his face. But the simple motion only seemed to beckon more tears to his eyes rather than banish them, and he resigned himself to them, knowing that any further efforts to dry them would be in vain. Maybe it could be good to cry once in a while. At least, it had to be better than keeping his now swirling and tumbling emotions caged up inside. Right now there were so many feelings competing for his attention that it was hard to sort them out—joy, adrenaline, relief, exhaustion, and now…fear.

Romeo had been scared to death during the rally-turned-fight when Crutchie had been captured, if only because he knew it could have just as well been himself sent to the Refuge instead. He'd assumed that once the strike was over, the accompanying fear would be gone along with it. But there it was, just as strong as ever, but now serving a new master. Because he couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to be abandoned—many of them for a second time—by someone they all saw as an older brother. And even if Jack stayed with them, he was going to be different, and that would be just as bad. Maybe worse.

Tears still streaming down his face, Romeo put his head in his hands, feeling his body trembling but beyond the point of caring about it. They weren't going to be able to count on Jack anymore, because he knew it was a safe bet that Katherine was going to become their leader's new top priority rather than the newsies. Who was he supposed to look up to now? Jack had always been Romeo's prime role model, but it looked as though that was a thing of the past. Jack wasn't going to be there anymore.

" 'Ey, Romeo, you'se alright?" a voice sounded, almost seeming confused. That made sense to Romeo. No one had ever seen him cry before, because he hadn't shed a tear in longer than he could remember. It was a part of the devil-may-care Manhattan newsie attitude that all of them had adopted and accepted as a way of life. He could hear footsteps approaching him at a cautious pace, but he made no effort to acknowledge them as someone sat down beside him on his bunk.

"What's the matta, kid?" There was a hand slung over his shoulder, rubbing it in almost a comforting manner. It was an unfamiliar gesture to Romeo, alien in the way that it seemed almost…brotherly. He tensed, his muscles turning rigid for a moment as he realized who was next to him. The very person he'd been worrying about losing not a minute ago.

"Jack…" he murmured through the tears that were still making tracks through the dirt on his face. He shook his head, not ready to voice his fear, especially not to the fear's origin himself. "Nothin'. It's…it's nothin'."

"That's the biggest pile of lies I think I'se ever heard," Jack chuckled, still rubbing the younger boy's shoulder as if it was supposed to help Romeo in some way. "Why don'tcha tell me what's really botherin' ya?"

"Ya wouldn't get it," Romeo mumbled into his hand, turning his face away from his friend and scowling to himself. Why did Jack want to know so badly, anyway? It wasn't as though he cared that much, did he? Romeo was just another newsie, no one particularly special.

He wasn't confident and sure of himself like Jack. He wasn't optimistic and ever-joyful like Crutchie, or witty like Race, or smart like Davey. He was just…Romeo, that young kid in the back that no one never really paid any attention to. No wonder everyone always left him, there was nothing about him that would make them want to stay. Jack was about commit the same crime his family had—why would he want to hear what Romeo had to say about it?

"Oh, really? I think you'd be surprised at the stuff ole Jack Kelly's good at understandin'," Jack mused, a decidedly thoughtful tone adorning his voice.

"Yeah, well, I bet I'll getcha stumped," Romeo muttered, and his former role model laughed again.

"Why don'tcha try me then, eh, kid?" he insisted. "Can't do ya no harm, can it? Ya neva know, I might be able to help ya!"

The younger boy sighed, his conflicted mind wanting Jack to leave him alone and yet stay with him at the same time. But the Manhattan newsies leader didn't seem to be going anywhere until Romeo gave him some valid form of an answer, so he supposed an answer was what Jack was going to get. And besides, maybe what the elder boy had said was right—it wouldn't do him any real harm to finally let it out. He couldn't be more let down than he already was.

"You'se gonna leave us, ain'tcha? Leave us to go be with…w-with Katherine, huh?" Romeo finally managed to blurt out, his voice shaking despite how hard he was trying to control it. "You'se been 'ere forever, so I guess you'd wanna get out 'ventually, b-but I'da neva thought you was gonna leave us for some rich girl!"

The words came out before he meant them, really, almost as if now that he'd started to get it all off his chest, he couldn't stop talking. He wasn't sure where the insults against Katherine had come from—Romeo very much liked the reporter. She was smart, good-looking, strong, independent, kind…everything he'd want in a girl himself. He immediately regretted ever opening his mouth.

Romeo finally looked up from his hands, eyes wide as he watched Jack's face, trying to gauge his reaction. He had just spoken irrevocably badly about his "brothers'" lady; there was no way Jack would want to hear him out now.

"Jack, I…I'm sorry, I swear I didn't mean nothin' bad 'bout Katherine, she's a great gal! I guess I just…I don't…" he trailed off in his apologies, lowering his gaze sheepishly. Jack remained silent for a moment, and Romeo could assume only the worse. A shameful silence overtook him until Jack spoke again.

" 'Ey, it's alright, kid. I get it," he said softly, looking down at the boy next to him with a slight smile on his face.

"You…you do?" Romeo stammered, and Jack laughed."Yeah, I do. I toldja I understand more than you'se all thinks I do," he pointed out, and Romeo allowed himself a chuckle as well. "And I don't blame ya for whatcha said 'bout Katherine. You'se upset."

"I ain't upset!" Romeo cried indignantly, knowing as soon as he said the words that neither he nor Jack believed them.

"You kiddin' me, Romeo? I ain't seen you'se this worked up since you got turned down by that girl from da Bronx!" He was laughing again, and Romeo's own attempt at a scowl was short-lived.

"Alright, I guess I'se sorta upset," he admitted, wiping his face again in the hopes that the tears had run themselves dry by now. "But it's true, ain't it? You and Katherine is gonna leave us alone." He studied Jack's face again, and it seemed to drop at his words.

"Aw, Romeo…why are ya worried about that?" he asked, the humor leaving his voice, instead sounding almost personally wounded by the thought of Romeo regarding him in such a way. Guilt began to creep into the younger boy's mind. Maybe he was wrong about the whole thing, maybe Jack wasn't going to leave them after all…But soon, memories of his real family snuck up on him, the harsh truth of what they had done blinding him of any other options. He'd never thought they were going anywhere, either…

"'Cause it's 'appened before. I ain't gonna let it 'appen again," The words were forced out quietly, and Romeo wasn't sure if Jack had even heard his confession. But the sigh that followed proved that the older boy had registered what he was saying.

Romeo averted his eyes for a moment, wanting to avoid the look of sympathy he knew was undoubtedly being thrown his way. Pity was the last thing he wanted from anyone. The only thing pity was good for was selling papes to the rich ladies. It meant nothing anywhere else, especially in the lodging house where such a thing rarely existed to begin with.

He hadn't set out looking for Jack's pity—he had only said what he had because Jack would be able to tell if he tried to get away with anything other than the truth. And it was the truth. Romeo wasn't about to let his second older brother leave him if he could help it.

Said brother's features had turned thoughtful, almost conflicted, and Romeo knew Jack was most likely debating whether or not to press for details. As much as he hoped the older newsie would decide to leave well enough alone like he usually did, he supposed it was only natural that he would be curious.

Romeo had never spoken openly of his past before, hardly any of the newsies ever did. Usually it was too painful, too difficult for them to talk about, and no one wanted to be the one to bring down crew morale. So the subject on the whole was left untouched, and they focused on the present rather than dwelling on the pasts none of them could change.

But now it was being dragged back into the open again, and Romeo supposed it was his own fault. If he could have just kept his childish emotions to himself…

"Look, Romeo, I don't know what happened to you when you was younger," Jack started, and Romeo couldn't help but feel relief flooding through him at the words. Of course Jack wouldn't make him come clean about it, he wasn't the type to pry for information. What had he been thinking? "But I don't want ya ta think that I'd eva leave you'se boys for anythin'. We's a family, remember? All of us. An' I ain't the kind of guy who'd just up and leave his family."

"But what about Katherine? You love her, don'tcha?" Romeo argued, making sure none of the earlier bitterness against Pulitzer's daughter crept back into his voice. It wasn't her fault where she had come from, or who her father was. She had chosen to defy Pulitzer in favor of defending the newsies, and that was what really mattered. Jack, however, seemed reluctant to answer him, although he was afraid that whatever he said would condemn him in Romeo's mind, or perhaps even afraid to admit how he really felt. "I can see it, Jack. I know ya do."

"How can you pick up on somethin' like that?" Jack teased, clearly attempting to avoid the question by asking another in return."Well, you'se all don't call me Romeo for nothin'!" Romeo pointed out, grinning a bit, taking part in Jack's habit of using humor as a distraction if only in the hopes of helping him to voice what he obviously was thinking. "Why can'tcha just say it?"

"Alright, ya little jerk," Jack chuckled, giving the younger boy a light shove before sighing, his features sobering. "I guess I do love Katherine. More than…more than anythin'."

"An' you wanna be with her, right?" Romeo pressed, a part of him wondering why he was even bothering as an overwhelming kind of despair settled over him. Jack had just said he loved Katherine more than everything else, so didn't that include them? Weren't the newsies part of everything?

"Yeah, I do..." their leader admitted, trailing off as though he was reluctant to continue further. Romeo sighed, realizing that he had to accept what was coming next.

"Then I was right. You'se is leavin'. We don't matta to ya anymore," he muttered, head hanging again. It had been a roundabout way of confirming what he already knew, and Romeo found himself starting to wish he could have avoided the conversation altogether. Clearly it had gotten them nowhere.

"Romeo, I don't think you've ever been more wrong," Jack countered, a certain sternness working it's way into his words. "Yeah, I do wanna be with Katherine. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about you'se anymore! I coulda lost more of ya than just Crutchie during the strike-do you know how much that woulda hurt me, kid? If I don't have you boys...I don't have anybody. You'se are the reason I stick it out in New York, you'se are the reason I ain't long gone. If I'da wanted to leave, I woulda done it years ago! But I won't do that, Romeo, because I can't leave my family. Don'tcha understand that?"

"No...no, Jack, I don't understand," Romeo's own words shocked him even as he said them. What was he doing? "My parents each fell in love with other people, and they left me and my brother alone to be with them. Then Ben fell in love, too, and he was gone. What's stoppin' you from bein' next, huh? I was their family, and they didn't care. Why should you?"

There, he'd said it. He'd finally come out and admitted the truth about his past, after all of the worry and stress of keeping it in. Why? He couldn't be sure. Maybe it was to get it off his chest after all those years. Maybe a part of him wanted to prove that he was right about Jack, no matter how much the rest of him hoped and prayed he was wrong.

The older boy was silent as the confession sunk into the air, tainting it and weighing it down. Romeo sighed again, waiting for the dreaded pity that Jack was bound to give him. But instead, his surrogate brother managed to surprise him with the next words out his mouth.

"Because I'm not like them," He said it with the firmness and assuredness he'd had during the strike, a tone that suggested that he was not to be questioned in the slightest. "I couldn't stand it if I lost you, or if I lost any of you'se. Maybe I am in love, but I ain't gonna let that change me into someone I'm not, someone that doesn't put his family first. I won't be the one to let you down again, Romeo. You gotta believe me, kid. Please."

"I want to, but...they changed, too. I didn't think they were gonna change, either, Jack, but they did. Love changes everyone. If you change, then you might as well already just be gone," Romeo spat, feeling the twitching of tears once again against his eyelashes but refusing to let them drop. He'd cried too much for his liking already.

"Hate to disappoint ya, but Jack Kelly don't change for no one. Katherine ain't gonna make me some kind of new person, Romeo. And even if she does, it'll be for the better. She's a smart gal, she knows what she's doin'. I ain't lettin' my feelings for her ruin the good deal I got here with you'se all, that would be stupid of me. What would I gotta do to convince ya of that?" Jack grinned again, although the earlier sincerity of his voice was still present. He clearly wouldn't let Romeo believe anything otherwise, and his persistence seemed to be paying off in the younger boy's mind.

"I...I don't know..." Romeo began to feel himself smiling in return, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. He'd almost begun to feel foolish, because he could see where the Manhattan newsie leader was right. Jack wasn't like his parents, or his brother Ben. If anything, he was the exact opposite-fiercely loyal, honest, fair, caring. Jack was everything that his real family had never been, and more. Jack and the newsies had shown him what a family actually did for each other, what the word itself actually meant. How could he have believed that a bond as strong as that could be broken so easily?

He supposed it was the fear gnawing at him, the fear that had been ignited during the strike and not left him alone even after it was over. Now, Jack had begun to expel that fear, driving it out with the sheer force of his truth. But even so, there was one thing he needed to hear that would finally reassure him.

"You have to promise. You have to promise that you won't leave us. At least, not yet," Romeo looked Jack straight in the eye, searching his face for any signs of doubt, any sign of deception. But there was none to be found as Jack nodded his head, smiling back at Romeo with a complete and utter honesty, an honesty that Romeo had grown up with. An honesty that he now knew was something he could believe in.

"I promise ya, kid. I ain't going nowhere for a long time."

* * *

"'Hey, is Romeo okay?"

Jack turned around as he headed back to the ladder that led to his penthouse, finding the source of the question poking his head out from the top of one of the bunk beds, concern all but evident on his face for their youngest newsie.

"Oh, you heard us, huh?" he asked in return, smiling sheepishly as Race swung himself from the bed and landed almost soundlessly on the floor. The pair of them glanced in the direction of Romeo's bed, where the boy was finally getting some well-deserved rest.

"Yeah, I didn't want ta disturb you'se or nothin'. But he sounded pretty upset from what I could tell. What's the matta with him?" Race whispered, and Jack only grinned back at him, seeming almost wise beyond his years.

"Nothin', Race. He's gonna be just fine," he promised. Race nodded in assurance, relief relaxing his features.

"Right. 'Course he is. Strike's over now, we's all gonna be fine," he pointed out, swiftly climbing the ladder and back onto his bunk. "Night, Jack."

"Night, Race," Jack replied, a quiet sense of content filling him to the brim. This was where he belonged, with these boys who cared about him and about each other. Santa Fe was a dream, and he wasn't the resentful dreamer he once was any longer. He knew it would be impossible to try to put the label of "home" anywhere the wasn't with the Manhattan newsies.

Jack Kelly wasn't leaving now, that much he was sure of. Katherine and Romeo and Crutchie and the rest of the boys had proved that to him. And after all, he had a promise to keep.


End file.
